Choosing the Best Kid's Bike: Top Tips
Cycling is a fun activity you can practice at any age, and it's never too early to start! Are you looking to offer your child their very first bike to teach them how to pedal or so that they can have fun with their friends and accompany you on a ride?
Here is a small, but complete, guide to help you in your choice and find the best bike for your child according to his age, size and tastes.
The draisienne (balance bike) for the little ones
The draisienne is the ideal bike to begin with. Children of two years or older can discover the sensations on a bike thanks to the draisienne which allows to learn balance and motor coordination by pushing it with their feet to make it advance.
The draisiennes are aimed at children between two and five years old. There are even three-wheeled balance bikes on which children can learn to ride at the age of 18 months.
The draisiennes are usually made of wood, aluminum or steel. They're equipped with wide tyres to give good stability, with or without an inner tube (a tyre with an air chamber will dampen shocks better),an adjustable saddle height and a handlebar adaptable to your child's size. For adventurous enthusiasts, there are easy-to-use MTB draisiennes with wide studded tyres for 3-year old children and older.
Children's bike (5 years old & more)
Finding the right size bike for your child is way easier than you might think: all you need is their age and height, then you can use the chart below to help you find the best bike for your kid. The selection between city biking, mountain biking and BMX is so broad that everything will depend on your child's practice.
The first criteria to consider when choosing a bike is its size: it must match the child's height to make them perfectly comfortable and let them have fun. Choose a bike with an adjustable seatpost and handlebar to elevate them as your child grows up. The size of the bicycle is characterized by the size of the wheels: between 10 and 24 depending on the size of your child. Refer to our size guide to see all the age-size correspondences of the child-sized wheels.
The second criteria to take into account is the bike's material: it must indeed be solid and light to facilitate its manoeuvrability. Steel or aluminum are perfectly suitable.
The third criteria is the geometry of the frame: the lower it is, the easier it will be for the child to ride on the bike and the more stable it will be as they roll.
Bikes for children between the ages of 4 and 6 are most often sold with stabilizers that are disassembled when the child has learnt the right balance. For the more seasoned riders, there are even bikes with gears. For use in the city and to ride "like grown-ups", many children's bicycles are equipped with accessories: mudguard, basket, bell or luggage rack.
A comprehensive kids bike size chart
We used to recommend choosing a kids bike based on wheel size but since it can be confusing for parents we decided to create this chart using height and age to help you better understand and find the right size.
| 2 – 5 | 85 – 110cm | 35 – 45cm | 12” |
| 3 – 6 | 100 – 120cm | 40 – 50cm | 14” |
| 4 – 7 | 105 – 135cm | 45 – 55cm | 16” |
| 5 – 9 | 110 – 150cm | 50 – 60cm | 18” |
| 6 – 10 | 120 – 155cm | 55 – 65cm | 20” |
| 9 – 13 | 135 – 165cm | 65 – 75cm | 24” |
| 12 – 14+ | 150 – 170cm | 70 – 80cm | 26” |
*The bike sizes shown in this table are for information only. Each brand of bike has different frame sizes. To find out more, check the technical data sheet for the bike of your choice.
MTB for kids
For children who love riding in the forest or out in nature, opt for a mountain bike. The geometry of the frame and the large studs on the tyres will give them good grip on muddy paths and circuits with steep gradients.
If they feel comfortable enough, a children's mountain bike with gears will make it easier for them to tackle climbs.
BMX for children
If your child is looking to take up BMX and have fun in skate parks, doing jumps and tricks, they'll need the right bike. A BMX is a small, sturdy bike to take the impact of repeated jumps. It has a rotor to allow the handlebars to turn 360° and pegs (small supports attached to the rear hub) for performing tricks.
